Circuit-closer for clocks



(No Model.)

H. A. CHASE. CIRCUIT CLOSER FOR CLOCKS.

No. 448,294. Patented Mar. 17, 1891.

ms NOIIIS PQTEIE cm, Mow-mum, wasnmsmn n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. CHASE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CIRCUIT-CLOSER FOR CLOCKS.

SPEUIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,294, dated March 17, 1891.

ppl i n fil September 6,1889- Renewed February 9, 1891I Serial No. 380,718. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. CHASE, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Circuit-Closers for Clock Mechanisms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to circuit-closing devices for clock or other time movements, and has for its object to provide the said timemovement with a circuit-closer and mechanism for operating it, wherebya substantially large amount of surface of one member of the circuit-closer is caused to make contact with the other member of the circuit-closer in a substantially short space of time, thereby ef-.

feeling a sliding or rubbing contact and rendering the instrument more eflicient in oper-' ation.

In accordance with my invention the eir-' cuit-eloser is composed of preferably a fixed member, as a pen or brush, and a movable member, preferably a disk, whiehis normally held immovable by a locking device, preferably a detent, adapted to be released at pre-. determined intervals by a motor mechanism, as will be described.

My invention therefore consists in a circuit-controlling device for time mechanisms, consisting of two independent members, the combination, with one member, of the second member provided with a lug, a motor mechanism to move said second member, a locking device for said member, provided with two detents out of line with each other, and an independent motor mechanism to operate said locking device to disengage one detent from the lug and engage the second detent with the lug and thereafter to disengage the second detent from the lug,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

Other features of my invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is an end view of a sufficient portion of a clock mechanism provided with my improved circuit-closer to enable my invention to be understood; Fig. 2, asect-ion online 03 at, Fig. 1, looking toward the right; Fig. 3, a

section on line 03a, Fig. 1, looking toward the left; and Fig. 4:, a modification to be referred to.

The clock or time mechanism, comprising the main shaft a, havingbearings in the side plates a and provided with, preferably, a spring-motor a a gear a on said shaft, in mesh with a pinion (0* on a shaft (0, having mounted on it a gear a in mesh with a pinion (t7 on a shaft or arbor a may be of any usual or well-known construction.

The shaft a has fast on it the movable member of my improved circuit-closer, the said movable member being nerein shown as a disk Z), provided on its periphery with a series of notches or spaces 1), herein shown as four in number and marked 2 to 5, inclusive, in Fig. 2. The movable member?) of the ciremit-closer has co-operating with it a preferably fiXed member, shown as a metallic pen or brush 6 firmly securedto ablock of insulating material, fastened to the frame-work of the clock mechanism, the said pen being secured to one side of the battery (not shown) and the clock-frame to the other side of the said battery.

The movable member b is normally held stationary by means of a locking device, herein shown as a double detent consisting of two studs (Z (Z on one side or face of a lever (Z, pivoted, as at d, the said studs being set out of line with each other (see dotted lines Fig. 2) and co-operating with lugs d on the face or side of the disk b, there being as many lugs on the said disk as there are spaces or notches b. The lever d, as herein shown,has its free end pointed to engage the teeth of a ratchet wheel (Z on a shaft( having mounted on it a gear-wheel (Z of a preferably inde pendent clock or motor mechanism.

In operation the disk I) is rotated in the directionindicated byarrow 20, Fig. 2,bythe motor a when the lever (Z is carried forward by the ratchet-wheel at, so as to remove the studs :1 d from the path of movement of the pins or lugs d. The disk I) is in its normal position, as indicated in Fig. 2 by full lines, with the stud (Z in contact with a lug (1", and as the ratchet-wheel 175' is rotated in the direc tion of arrow 21, Fig. 2, the free end of the lever is carried forward until the stud d has been removed from the path of movement of the lug d permitting the disk to be revolved until the lug cl strikes the stud 11 which has been brought into the path of movement of the said lug by the forward movement of the lever d. When the lug d is in engagement with the stud d the disk I) is in the position indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2, almost in contact with the pen 19 The lever dis moved forward to bring the stud d in the path of movement of the lug d. by one tooth of the ratchet-wheel, and the ratchet-tooth in engagement with the lever d then passes by and out of engagement with the end of the said lever, and the latter is then drawn back by the spring d removing the stud d from engagement with lug'd and again placing the stud (Z in the path of movement of the next lug d". When the stud d is moved out ofengagement with the lug d, the disk b is moved a quarter-revolution, as herein shown, and substantially one-fourth of the periphery of the disk is broughtin contact with the pen I) for a substantially short time, the said disk as it revolves under the pen forming a rublung or sliding contact, thus effectually closmg the circuit at that point, the said circuit being again broken when the space or notch 4 is brought under the pen 11 The rate of movement of the disk I) may be regulated in any usual manner, as by an escape mentwheel e and pawl c.

I prefer to employ a disk provided with a series of notches or spaces b; but it is evident a crank-disk corresponding to a quarter of the disk I) may be used, and therefore I do not desire to limit my invention to the particular form of disk shown.

As shown in Fig. l the main shaft a of one motor mechanism and the shaft d of the other motor mechanism are wound independently; but, if desired, they may both be Wound from one shaft-f, having mounted upon it a pinion f, in mesh with the gears a f on the shafts a (1, respectively, as shown in Fig. 4.

I claim 1. In a circuit-controlling device for time mechanisms, consisting of two independent members, the combination, with one member, of the second member provided with a lug, a motor mechanism to move said second member, a locking device for said second member, provided with two detents out of line wlth each other, and an independent motor mechmember, of a movable member co-operating With the fixed member and provided with a lug, a motor mechanism to move it, a locking device for said movable member, consisting of a lever provided with two detents out of line with each other, one of the said detents being g in engagement with the lug, and an independent motor mechanism to move said lever and disengage one detent from the lug and engage the second detent and thereafter disengage the second detent from the lug, substantially as described.

3. In a circuit-closer for time mechanisms, the combination, with a fixed member, of a movable member consisting of a disk provided with a lug, as dfla motor mechanism to move it, a locking device for said disk, consisting of a double detent out of line with each other, one of the said detents being nor: mallyin engagement with the lug d and the other detent normally out of engagement with the said lug, and an independent motor mechanism to operate said double detent to disengage the first detent and engage the second detent with the lug d and thereafter disengage the said second detent, substantially as described.

. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. CHASE. Witnesses:

J AS. H. CHURCHILL, E. J. BENNETT. 

